Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Flashback Ecuador: Student's Say the Funniest Things...

One January morning in my Intermediate I class, I had my students break into pairs and gave them the task of going on vacation to Chicago. The groups of two had to write a role play where they had to buy a plane ticket at the airline ticket counter, hail a taxi once they landed, make small talk in the cab, check into their hotel room, ask the conceirge for a dinner recommendation and then go to dinner. I gave them an hour to plan their oral role plays. Each group presented its conversation the second hour. The last group to go included two gentlemen I will call Roberto, a middle-aged family man from Guayaquil living in Quito and working as a computer engineer, and Jose, a thin Columbian business man. Roberto is tall and kind of goofy with his button down and glasses. He was one of my best students. Jose was quiet but diligent and often surprised me with his attentiveness. They decided that Jose would be the traveler and Roberto would be the customer service person. Fast forward to the part where Jose was in Roberto's cab and the conversation went as follows:

Jose (traveler): "How do you like living in Chicago?"Roberto (cab driver): "Oh it is great. This is a beautiful city."Jose: "Can you recommend any activites, places to see, or eat at?"Roberto: "Oh yes. You should go shopping and eat hamburgers."Jose: "Great. And the hotel I am staying at is nice?"Roberto: "Oh yes. We are not far from the hotel. You'll love it."Jose: "Oh good."Roberto: "We are here now."Jose: "Great. And how much is the ride?"

Roberto, standing in front of the class, clinches his fists in total concentration in a very Rain Man fashion and responds very seriously, "SHOW ME THE MONEY!!"

The class erupted in laughter and I nearly peed my pants. The tears were rolling down my face as I patted Roberto on the back.

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About Me

This girl's ramblings on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. She is eternally hopeful in a confounding yet delightful way. She's living in color and laughing out loud while trying to figure out what the hell she is going to do with her life.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain